The San Antonio Spurs' league-best 20-season streak of making the playoffs is in jeopardy this year as they face a real battle to secure a postseason berth.
They suffered their second straight loss on Saturday night as they were beaten 104-94 by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This was their eighth defeat in the last 10 games and the surprising slump has seen them drop to 37-29 in the west and from third to seventh in the standings.
Gregg Popovich's men are now just one game ahead of the ninth-placed Denver Nuggets and face a hugely difficult game at the Houston Rockets in their next outing.
The Spurs badly need a spark from somewhere to avoid missing out on the playoffs and it could potentially come this week as they look set to welcome back one of the league's best players.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Kawhi Leonard could return to their lineup as early as Thursday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has been troubled by a quad injury all season. Despite making a comeback in December, he only appeared in nine games and was ruled out indefinitely in January as he complained of pain and discomfort.
Speaking publicly this week for the first time since being shut down, Leonard confirmed that he was looking to return "soon" and it now looks likely that he'll be back in a Spurs uniform in the coming days.
"The progress I've been making has been great. [The pain] is diminishing," he said earlier in the week, per ESPN's Michael C. Wright. "It's hard to explain, but I'm definitely better. I feel better, and I'm feeling more comfortable."
The injury and his recovery timetable has reportedly caused friction between the 26-year-old and the franchise and has raised doubts about his future in San Antonio as he's due to hit free agency in 2019.
But both the small forward and the team's immediate focus is getting him back healthy and helping them stop their rot and claim a spot in the postseason.
The All-Star has admitted it has "been tough" to watch the Spurs struggle without him in the lineup but he said it was important for him not to come back "unhealthy".
If Kawhi does return on Thursday, it'll give him 14 games to try and save the team's season and get into the playoffs.
That can be their only goal for now, but make no mistake about it, if they can get their superstar back to playing at his best, the Spurs will be dangerous opponents again very soon.
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